At the Nassau County School Board meeting on Aug. 9, ninth-grade student Brianna English told the board she is worried her younger sister will not be challenged.

“I want her to be in the advanced classes that she deserves to be in,” said Brianna. “I am going into ninth grade this year and I’m in honors and AP classes. And I got to those classes because I took the advanced classes that I got, to get to that level.”

Dr. Kathy Burns, the superintendent of the Nassau County School District, addressed complaints from Yulee Middle School parents at that meeting.

“There should have been more communication with you as parents and family members. We’re doing something similar in Callahan Middle School. The foundation was laid, the conversations were held, the meetings were held in advance and they were better prepared,” said Burns.

But Durham told Action News Jax there were no meetings or notifications for Callahan Middle parents either.

Durham told Action News Jax on Monday that everyone at the school district was too busy “keeping kids safe” to do an interview.

Durham then said he does not think the news media is the right venue for this information.

In an email earlier this month, Durham told Acton News Jax, “A couple of our middle schools, YMS included, have been ‘B’ schools for the past few years. We have given their principals some discretion, in scheduling and other matters, to implement innovative and research based practices in an effort to raise the academic achievement levels for ALL students.

"We believe, and there is a body of research to support, that mixed ability classrooms are what’s best for students. We are confident in the abilities of our teachers to differentiate instruction in the classroom to meet the needs of all students.”

Both Callahan and Yulee middle schools are hosting Q&A sessions for parents this week about the changes; Durham said the media will not be allowed inside.

Duval, St. Johns and Clay County school districts told Action News Jax they are not considering cutting advanced classes.